Great Western Coffee Shop

From The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (http://www.dcrp.org.uk/later-trains-maritime-line-users-start-sunday/)


Congratulations on the later evening train.

We have similar requests from passengers on the Swindon -> Westbury service, where the final train on Monday to Friday is as early as 20:06 from Swindon.  As the train's then parked up at Westbury overnight, the rolling stock's available to run a 21:20 from Westbury and a 22:36 from Swindon.  ;D

Observing trains from Bristol and Bath to Trowbridge and Westbury, there's a quiet period mid-evening, but the final train(s) get busier again.  So I'm sure this venture on the Maritime Line will go well, and help encourage other similar ventures.   And who knows - we may end up with Gladys Knight singing "Midnight train to Falmouth" in future years!

So latest departure from Paddington would push back from 1900 to a much more useful 2115, and evening events in Swindon (football, theatre etc) would be do-able by train.

You'd also need additional 'free' hours on a drivers turn to make that feasible. Presumably this was the case for that Falmouth train.

Agreed all around.   Crew is not quiet so hard to find as a train if it were in the peak, though.   I limited initial comment so as not to dilute a Cornwall thread away to Wiltshire, but as this is a follow up I can split it off if need be, so here goes ...

I commented before that mid-eveing is quieter than late evening.  We have local bus evidence for that as well as train evidence. The 20:06 off Swindon on Wednesday carried 18 people between Chippenham and Trowbridge - not a massive number, but pretty good for the quietest train of the day when we were called on to average 20 to be deemed a success. So a 22:36 would be on the right side of the balance.

A 22:36 (or perhaps a few minutes earlier, but we need to let events finish!) off Swindon would - in addition to John R's earlier comment - also reduce the longest gap in the day on London / Swindon to Chippenham services.  Half an hour all day, then a gap of over an hour at this one point in the evening.

A 21:20 off Westbury would provide excellent connections off the 19:23 from Portsmouth Harbour, the 19:45 from Paddington and the 19:55 from Exeter St David's. None would be huge flows, but they would add up and they would encourage people who would otherwise use their cars all day onto the trains [daytime, outward leg]

Currently, the final Bristol to Melksham connection is off the 19:30 from Temple Meads (arrives 20:32). Later services would be available - 20:22 and 21:51, giving Melksham arrivals 21:37 and 23:05.  And finally it would make those long evening journeys for me home so much easier ... last connection off Birmingham New Street moving from a 17:42 departure to a 20:12 departure.

It seems such a "no-brainer" and is not dependent on additional stock (which is so often the constraint).  Ironically, once the 153 is replaced by a 2 car unit the marginal cost will increase of running it, (fuel, track access charges), so it's a shame it hasn't been trialled before that happens to enable custom to build.

Dependent on a driver with hours available though

I can't believe that is beyond the wit of those who plan such things. Indeed I would expect rostering of staff to be the least of the hurdles to jump after stock (no issue), pathing (apparently no issue) and financing (which is I guess where the real issue arises).

Finding staff is easier than finding a train.   Financing is an interesting case and we have a number of learn-ed gentlemen looking at various elements of that.

This'll be great for all the Falmouth Week evening events.